Echo Valley Rally

Keelen Christensen

Well the first race of the year was a pure learning experience for me.  I decided to race Open/Pro category which entailed 3 laps of a grueling long climb up a hot and dusty mix of gravel roads and
double track trail.  I did not know how in shape I would be for this race because baseball has gotten in the way of me doing any races before.  Because of this I was incredibly nervous for this race, not just nervous of where I would place but also nervous of how much it would hurt.

I tried to stick with the main group for the first lap, which was a bad idea.  I went way too hard
too early and was worn out by the first lap.  Also on the 2nd lap I started getting cramps in the lower back and hamstrings.  They went away on the downhill but at the start of the third lap, they came back and I couldn’t get rid of them.  I was discouraged and worn out and unable to cope with the cramps so unfortunately I dropped out of the race on the third lap.

Like I said, this was a learning experience and now I know what to do in this situation next time.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Carry endurolytes to take during the race and take more before the race, especially if it is hot out. 
2. Race at your own pace, especially if it is early in the season.
3. Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t where you want to be, especially if it is the first race.

Despite this, I enjoyed getting out on some new trails to race my bike.  I enjoyed the challenge of
racing Open/Pro and plan to stay in this category for the rest of the series.  It was great to get some
racing in my legs and I feel a lot more prepared for the races to come.  Next up for me is the Enumclaw Stage Race next weekend.